Paris came alive with iconic moments everywhere, from Snoop Dogg to Yusuf Dikec
Four corners of the country delivered four golds and seven medals in total for Ireland’s greatest ever Olympic Games. Boy was it great.
La fin. Next stop LA. Paris brought the curtain down — and the floating flame with it — on the 2024 Olympic Games after nearly three weeks the city will never forget.
They will never forget it in Grange, Magheralin, Clonmel, Banbridge, Skibbereen, Newtownards and Portland Row either. Four corners of the country delivered four golds and seven medals in total for Ireland’s greatest ever Olympic Games. Boy was it great.
From the first kick of the rugby sevens competition on July 24 to Lara Gillespie’s last spin around the track yesterday the country has been gripped by the action.
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The power, the glory, the agony, the ecstasy and the JoJo bows. Paris 2024 had it all and more.
There was controversy, redemption, Snoop Dogg doing dressage, a breakdancer named Raygun and a 51-year-old Turkish shooter who stole the whole show.
There were incredible performances that will live forever and others that may not prove credible in time.
There was an opening ceremony like no other with teams travelling down the River Seine. There was Celine Dion singing and judo star Teddy Riner lighting the flame. From that point on it was non-stop action.
The Rugby Sevens team nearly won a medal before it even started and when Ryan Mullen took the lead in the time trial on the opening Saturday, Team Ireland was up and running.
Mona McSharry delivered the first medal after a couple of unforgettable performances at La Défense Arena and for a few days the country lost the run of itself.
Daniel Wiffen struck gold, then rowers Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle collected bronze and it kept going.
Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy added another gold, so did Rhys McClenaghan, Wiffen came back for another medal (this time bronze) and by the time Kellie Harrington collected Ireland’s fourth gold it seemed that anything was possible.
But it didn’t all go to plan.
The boxing team were not having a good time of it — a combination of questionable judging and under-par performances meant Harrington was the only one to medal.
Sailors Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson saw a medal slip from the grasp in Marseille, while the merest brush of a gate cost canoeist Liam Jegou dearly as well.
The showjumpers faulted in Versailles, Rory McIlroy fell short at Le Golf National and Ciara Mageean didn’t even make it to the track.
But Paris was alive with colour and noise for Femke Bol's comeback, Noah Lyles' entrance, Mondo Duplantis scaling new heights and every French athlete going.
The stars came out for Simone Biles, the sun came out for the beach volleyball and the boulangeries were working overtime.
Iconic moments were everywhere.
Imane Khelif getting to the top after an ugly pile-on and athletes from Palestine and Ukraine giving hope to their people at home.
Kimia Yousofi running for every girl in Afghanistan, Cindy Ngamba fighting for every refugee, while South Sudan’s scattered sons were shining on the basketball court.
It went on like that right to the last moment with Brittney Griner going from detention in a Russian jail a couple of years ago to winning gold for USA in the women's basketball final.
For the final act the competing teams gathered in the stadium one last time as the crowd sang along to Joe Dassin’s Les Champs-Élysées, Freed from Desire by Gala Rizzatto and We Are The Champions by Queen. It was end fitting end to the festival.
The Olympic Games is not perfect, far from it.
There is corruption, doping and all sorts of political shenanigans. And you can’t get a can of Pepsi for love nor money — especially if that money is not Visa.
But this Olympic Games was nearly perfect. Paris was a playground, the streets safe, the transport system working well, the venues well signposted and always full, the weather glorious.
The only thing missing from an Irish perspective was a medal on the track and Rhasidat Adeleke nearly, oh so nearly delivered that.
For two nights she had the nation glued to their screens — both in the individual 400m and with her relay teammates Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Sharlene Mawdsley and Kelly McGrory.
That really would’ve put the ribbon on it. But it wasn't to be. C’est la vie, we’ll always Paris 2024.
Cue one last image of Yusuf Dikec’s laidback shooting pose. Roll the credits. Fin.
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